Today started with boarding another bus. This one took us to the Lewis and Clark Monument at Council Bluffs, IA. The docent gave us information about the expedition's travel from the southern Nebraska/Iowa border to the northern Nebraska/Iowa border.
Next we stopped for a picnic lunch at a lovely park that I never got the name of. Lunch was provided by the wagon master and his wife and was a salad with chicken, but you could add cheese, olives, bacon bits, cucumbers, and tomatoes. There was also fruit and Oreos available.
Both sites had some beautiful views.
Our next stop was Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Boys Town is a home for children aged 10 through high school who need a restart at life. They live in family homes with two teacher/parents and five to seven other children of the same sex. They attend school, play sports, and learn vocational trades. The average stay is two years and the kids come from all over the country.
The first stop there was the Catholic Church and Father Flanagan's grave.
The second stop was the History Center which was full of exhibits, newspaper clippings, photos, etc. Scattered among these were various statues depicting scenes from the history of the school.
We also stopped at Father Flanagan's home where this desk was located. It was made by some boys at the school and took three years to complete. It was then given to Father Flanagan for his birthday.
The last stop was the Visitor's Center where they have a display of stamps, pictures made of stamps and the largest stamp ball in the world (it started as a golf ball).
Our day wasn't over yet, because after returning to the campground, and a short drivers' meeting, it was time for dinner. A couple of places had been recommended by several of the group and one reminded us a lot of Famous Dave's (a local to us barbecue place) so that's where we went. We saw three other couples there and one of them joined us for dinner. The food was good and so was the conversation.
Then it was time to head out to watch a melodrama called "Something's Rotten in Green Bend". I'd never been to a melodrama before and didn't know what to expect. Apparently, it's an interactive play with the audience throwing popcorn and/or folded dollar bills. The actors fought over the dollar bills and threw popcorn back at the audience. The kids in the audience had a great time. During intermission, a man came out to sweep the popcorn back at the kids so they could refill their containers for the second half.
When we left the theater, it was raining very hard and the lightening was constant. It was the worst storm we'd ever been in, but then we're from southern California. I'm told by some midwesterners that this was a minor storm compared to some they'd experienced. We did manage to find our way back to the campground using our GPS, but both of us were soaked just walking from the car to the RV.
Tomorrow we travel to Fort Atkinson with stops at Fort Atkinson and an optional stop at Lewis and Clark State Park.
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